April 23–26, 2015
Written and Performed by Minita Gandhi
Directed by Heidi Stillman
The life of a young Indian-American woman is forever changed when, on a retreat to her homeland, she unearths family secrets, encounters a prophet, and ultimately discovers her own voice. The Familiar and the Foreign swap roles in this dark comedy about culture, identity, spirituality, and sexuality.
Soloist | Minita Gandhi*
*Member of Actors’ Equity Association, the union of professional actors and stage managers.
Producer | Malik Gillani
Producer | Jamil Khoury
Playwright | Minita Gandhi
Director | Heidi Stillman
Production Manager | Corey Pond
Stage Manager | Helen C. Lattayak*
Scenic Designer | Yu Shibagaki
Lighting Designer and Master Electrician | Kristof Janezic
Props Designer | Jesse Gaffney
Script Consultant | Jonathan Green
Script Consultant | Juan Villa
Box Office Manager | Al Gillani
House Manager | Jin You
Press and Archive Photographer | Crimson Cat Studios
Videographer | Deann Baker
*Member of Actors’ Equity Association, the union of professional actors and stage managers.
Everyone keeps secrets. But staying silent often hurts more than it helps. In writing MUTHALAND, I had to give voice to stories that I was scared to hear out loud.
What I thought was a story about self-identity unearthed a deeper exploration into family history. It quickly became evident how rooted my choices were in the path carefully laid out by my ancestors.
For the first time in my life, the hard line I had drawn between the old world and new became blurry. And I began to ask questions.
It's been an amazing journey interviewing family and friends who were brave and candid enough to share things they had never spoken before, allowing me to discover and create the story that unfolds. It's been both terrifying and awesome to play with pieces of my own journey and to learn so much about myself.
I got into theater because I believe stories can heal. I hope this piece serves that purpose.
